Take Me Back
by auTumnlove77
Summary: AU All human; Five year old Elena's life is changed forever when Stefan and Damon move in next door. Will Elena and Damon stay friends throughout their childhood years? Can it turn into something more?
1. Best Friend

**I really have no idea where this came from. I was trying to update Freaky Vampires (I'll update it soon I promise!) when the whole thing deleted cuz I am completely horrible at anything electronical. So, I wrote this. Haha. Okay so here are a couple things to know before reading this fic. First, Elena was never adopted and her parents are Miranda and Grayson. Second, Damon and Stefan aren't vampires. Damon is only 2 years older than Elena and Stefan. Heh. Third, characters might seem OOC,But Elena's parents never died, so she's happier. And Katherine never existed, so Damon's still nice. Well, enjoy! **

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Elena would always remember that day like it was yesterday.

She could still feel everything perfectly, from the smell of freshly cut grass and untamed flowers drifting on the wind, to the sharp prick of weeds on her chubby thighs, to the sound of sweet chirping birds and scrabbling squirrels. Up above the sky was a clear blue, with no clouds. The sun beat down her as she lounged on the clean, crisp grass. A perfect summer day.

She was only five at the time, a ripe innocent age, where her only worry was how to not eat her vegetables. It was the last summer before she had to attend school, and Elena didn't know at the time how much she should've enjoyed it.

Elena had lived in Mystic Falls all her life and she knew she never wanted to leave. She loved everything about the small, quaint town. She especially loved her neighbors. On her right lived Mrs. Flowers, a sweet old lady who loved to talk about when she was a little girl while petting one of her many cats. Most people seemed to avoid Mrs. Flowers, but Elena loved her incessant babble and her lazy cats. On the left used to live Mr. Gibbons, a middle aged police officer who moved out to find a bigger job in a big city. Now it was just an empty house, but the sign on the yard read SOLD.

Down the street lived Matt. Elena loved Matt and knew that he was the boy she was going to someday marry. Whenever Matt's mom was out of town, which was often, Matt came to stay at Elena's house. They would always play house, where Elena was the mom and Matt was the dad. He never complained, like Tyler would. Tyler was Matt's friend, though Elena couldn't fathom why. He would look at Elena like she was a disease, and fling stuff at her.

Inside her house, Elena could now hear high squeals and her mom's laughter. Her mom had gone inside to find a camera so she could freeze in time Elena sitting idly on the grass, with her pink dress and ribbons in her chocolate brown hair. Her brother Jeremy, who was just turned three, probably was playing tag again. She smiled.

Elena was picking a weed flower, a small purple thing, when she heard a lazy rumble come down the street. It was a large white truck, followed by a sleek black car. They came to a stop outside the house next to her. A gruff looking man stepped out of the white truck and opened the back. Another man had stepped outside of the black car and said something to the truck man, his hands whipping around in angry motion. Truck man said something back, and pulled a large box out and walked inside the house next to Elena's followed by the other man.

She stood up shakily and hopped over to the white truck. She hid quickly behind a tall oak and peeked out to watch the strange men without being seen. They were gone. Instead, two little boys were making their way out of the black car, eyeing their surroundings warily.

One was short and slightly chubby with short light brown hair. The other was taller skinny and awkward looking with long unruly black hair that continually fell into his eyes. Elena smiled. They seemed nice. They didn't look like the kind of boy that flings mud and had cooties, like Jeremy or Tyler. The two looked more like Matt: sweet and careful.

Without another thought Elena skipped over to them, her pigtails swaying cheerfully. The boys turned to her, studying her carefully. Elena grinned.

"Hello!" she chirped, her voice high and excited. The short chubby boy looked down in embarrassment but the black haired boy smiled back.

"Hey." he said quietly, looking shy.

"I'm Elena." she continued, putting her hands on her hips, like she often saw her mother do.

"I'm Damon." said the black haired boy, his blue eyes sparkling. He looked at the chubby boy, who was still staring at the ground kicking at the dirt bashfully. The boy named Damon rolled his eyes. "This is my little brother, Stefan." Elena opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a loud and sudden bang.

It was those two strange men one of which was yelling in a loud voice with violent words Elena had never heard before. He spotted the two boys and yelled "What are you two doing just standing here? Go pick up a box and help!" His face was red and strained.

"Yes father!" Stefan practically jumped up with excitement and ran to the back of the truck. He grabbed a small cardboard box, huffing and turning red at the weight of it. On the side of the box read STEFAN STUF with backwards F's. Asthe man watched his little son his face softened and then lit with great pride. When he turned to Damon however, who was still staring at Elena like there was nothing he'd rather do, his face only showed distaste and contempt. He shook his head and helped the truck man with a large couch.

"Do you wanna play sometime?" asked Damon. Elena grinned, a bright smile even with one of her front teeth missing.

"Sure." she said happily. She thought Damon seemed really nice, especially when he was smiling, which he was now.

From inside the house boomed a voice. "Damon! Come help your brother or so help me I'll..." the voice trailed off threatingly. Damon sighed, smiling faintly to quell the fear on Elena's face. "I should go." he said apologetically. He quickly ran to the house.

"Wait!" Elena cried. He turned back. "Will I see you again?" she asked. She was suddenly afraid for her new friend.

Damon grinned widely, showing that he was also missing one of his front teeth. "Of course you will." He said, and turned back to walk into the house, every once in a while, turning and smiling. Elena waited until he was in the house before she skipped back to her house, feeling giddy.

She couldn't wait to see him again.

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The next day, Elena saw him. She went with Mrs. Gilbert to Damon's house to welcome the family to their neighborhood. Miranda prided herself on being on close terms with everyone in the neighborhood. Elena felt excitement bubbling inside her at the thought of seeing Damon again. She was practically jumping up and down as they walked to the house, and Miranda noticed. She smiled at her daughter's excitement.

They knocked at the door while Elena continued to bubble. "And I think they're brothers and he has blue eyes like Matt and the little boy is quiet and he stares at dirt a lot and they had a truck with boxes and the daddy is loud and…" The door opened revealing Damon's father. He opened his mouth, but closed it, confused when he saw Miranda's welcoming smile and the homemade apple pie sitting warmly in her hands, steam still curling into the hot air.

"Hello! I'm Miranda Gilbert and this is my daughter, Elena. We live next door to you." She motioned to their house to left. Elena was looking around the man's leg, trying to see if she could find Damon. "Here, I made you a pie. Kind of a welcoming present." She handed him the pie, and the man stared at it awkwardly.

"Thank you." He said, looking touched. "My name is Giuseppe Salvatore. Why don't you two come in?"

Miranda smiled. "Sure" she said. "Come on Elena." Elena followed her mother in, still looking for her friend. They sat down on a couch in the almost empty living room. It was bare except for a couch, love seat and a large fireplace.

The adults engaged in small talk about work and weather, and Elena's mind began to wander. She picked at the yellow thread on her pick dress. Giuseppe noticed her boredom. "Elena why don't you go play with my sons? Stefan is the same age as you and Damon is only twoyears older. Stefan! Damon! Get down here!"

Elena perked up instantly as Stefan appeared, pulling an annoyed Damon. "Let go of me."Damon muttered. The annoyed look faded to a smile as he saw Elena.

"Hey." He said shyly.

Giuseppe frowned. "You two go and play with Elena."

Miranda smiled. "Have fun dear!"

Elena scrambled off the couch and quickly made her way to Damon and Stefan.

"So…"he said, as they walked outside into the hot air. "Whatcha wanna do?"

Elena's mind lit up with all of the possibilities. "I have an idea." she said.

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Ten minutes later, Damon and Elena found themselves perched on a low branch of a giant, staring out into the vast town. Stefan sat on the groung, picking at the grass, and looking up nervously at his brother every once in a while.

"Isn't it pretty?" Elena asked. She looked sideways at Damon, nervous as to what he thought of her favorite place.

"Yeah." Damon looked at her and smiled. "It's beautiful." She was beautiful, with the sun showing gold glints in her dark brown hair.

"You wanna be friends?" asked Elena. She really liked this boy.

"Sure." Damon said. "Best friends."

"Pinky promise?" She held out her pinky, and Damon quickly linked it with his.

"Pinky Promise. Best friends forever."

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**So that's it! Should I continue? Like it? Hate it? Any ideas for the future? I'd like to go through all the years of their childhood, but only if you guys liked it. So drop me a line and tell me what you thought. It only takes a few seconds and means the world to me! Lol.**


	2. Innocence

**I'm so sorry I took so long to update! It took me forever to write this chapter. I kept changing dialogue and adding this, and taking out that…lol. I'm still nervous about this chap after the overwhelming response I got last chapter( thank you soo much reviewers!). And don't worry! I 'm adding other characters in! haha :) Enjoy. Hope I did OK.**

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Deer Diry,

Yesturday I met a boy name Damon. He is nice.

Love Elena

**XXXXXXXXXX**

It took Elena a while to write that in the blank diary her mom gave her. She slaved laboriously, every once in a while asking how to spell a word. When she was done, she was extremely proud of herself.

The next day, Elena asked if she could go visit Damon, but she was quickly denied.

"They just moved in." her mom said. "Give them some time to settle down." Elena pouted and gave Miranda a defiant 'hmmph.'. She went outside and started to clumsily jump rope, while her mother pulled weeds in the garden. Jeremy sat nearby, watching Elena's progress with wide eyes.

Down the street, Elena heard voices. To her extreme delight, it was Damon with Stefan. Damon was teaching Stefan how to throw a football, and Stefan was absorbed in his explanation, staring at him with adoration in his large eyes.

Elena jump roped over to them, tripping over her feet every couple of steps. "Hey Damon!" she cried.

Damon grinned excitedly. "Elena!" Stefan immediately became interested in the floor.

Elena went up to Damon and quickly tapped his shoulder. Damon looked confused. "You're it!" she squealed, and began to run wildly down the street, laughing hysterically. Realization crossed Damon's face, and with a crazy smile, he took off after her. He was faster than her, due to his longer legs, and quickly overcame her, tackling her to the soft grass. Elena giggled and shoved him off claiming that boys were icky.

Elena would never forget her first summer with Damon and Stefan.

The days passed quickly, and the three quickly became connected at the hip. At first, Elena thought Stefan would never talk to her, as he seemed more content with staring at the floor, but as she continued to visit Damon, his shy attitude melted and he slowly warmed to the girl. Elena loved him almost as much as she loved Damon. He was sweet and quiet, and whenever Elena and Damon went on some crazy adventure, he was the voice of reason, always trying to convince them to rethink. And of course, Elena and Damon never listened, and he came along anyway. He always right, however, and always got his quiet "I told you so." at the end. Damon joked that they were corrupting him.

With Damon though, Elena had something special. Following the day where they promised to be friends forever, she knew. They could tell each other anything. Elena told Damon of her dream to be a writer, and Damon told her in turn how he wanted to be Indiana Jones. He was pleasantly surprised when she didn't laugh at him, like all of his family was inclined to do, especially his dad. Elena just nodded and asked if she could go with him and write about his adventures. Damon agreed eagerly, knowing that there was no one he'd rather go with.

Elena knew Stefan loved his brother. She knew Damon loved his brother too. It was easy to see that, by the adoration in Stefan's eyes whenever he looked at his elder brother and the smile Damon wore when he ruffled Stefan's hair.

Giuseppe's and Damon's relationship was strained. Elena thought it was strange for a dad to be so cruel and indifferent to his own son. Her dad, Grayson, loved her. He'd come home from work and swing around in circles as he told her how much he had missed her. Giuseppe barely even gave Damon a kind glance. Elena asked Damon what happened to them one day, and his usually mischievous and excited look faded away. He seemed reluctant to answer.

"He used to be nice to me." Was all Damon gave, and even Elena knew to drop the subject.

The father and son fought almost daily, and Elena hated it. Stefan would try to be the mediator, but it never helped. Whenever it got too hot, Damon would crawl over to Elena's house. He shared a bedroom and a bunk bed with Stefan on the second floor story. Their window and Elena's faced each other, and were connected by a large sturdy tree. Damon or Stefan could easily climb across and into Elena's room.

The first time he came into her room late at night, Elena was hardly surprised. She just shuffled over to make room for him, still clutching her teddy bear tightly. Damon slid in, and she snuggled sleepily into his chest, murmuring his name before she drifted back asleep. Damon stroked her hair absently, watching her breathe from the light of her fairy nightlight as the hurt slowly faded from his mind and he too fell asleep. By morning he was gone, leaving Elena to think it was just a dream.

A couple weeks later, Elena woke from a horrible nightmare. It wasn't one she could just shake off like she usually did. She quickly walked to her parent's room, but they looked peaceful, and Elena knew they were exhausted from dealing with Jeremy and herself and work. So she padded back to her room and opened the window. The height and scratchy branches were intimidating, but Elena never let that scare her. She quickly scrambled into the dark room, she was glad the window was open, for it was a hot night, and slid into the bottom of the bunk bed, where Damon slept. He was a light sleeper and immediately shot up at the shift of weight in the bed.

After that, they stood up for hours talking, until Elena felt comforted to crawl back into her own bed.

The Gilberts became fast friends with Giuseppe, due to Elena practically living at the Salvatore's and vice versa. The three adults would cluck their tongues when they saw Elena walking by, holding both of the brother's hands.

"She's going to have quite a choice to make when she's older." They would say. Elena had no idea what they were talking about.

The summer days gradually grew shorter, and the air became cooler. Miranda took her daughter shopping for school supplies and clothes.

"What's school mommy?" she asked curiously, as she looked at the wide array of backpacks.

"It's where you learn many new and fun things." Miranda answered absently, checking the price tag of a Cinderella backpack.

"Like what?"

"Like how to spell your name."

"But I already know how to do that." Elena answered proudly, putting her hands on her hips again.

"Yes. You're my special girl."

"Will Damon and Stefan go to school?"

"Yes, but they might not be in your class."

"Why?"

Miranda sighed. "Damon's older than you so he learns different things. And there are a lot of kids going so you might get separated." Damon was two years older than her, but he was only going into 1ST grade because he got held back for some unknowable reason.

Elena's big doe eyes filled with tears and her lower lip began to tremble. "But- but I wanna be with Steffi and Dammi!"

Miranda hugged her small child. "I know honey. You'll still see them after school."

Later, Elena told her fears to Damon.

"Don't worry." He said. "I'll be with you no matter what."

**XXXXXXXXX**

The first day of school came quickly. Elena's mother and father walked her to school as Elena bubbled about everything. She didn't seem to notice the tears in her parents as they handed her to a perky blonde lady. She sat Elena at a five person table. Elena was absolutely ecstatic to realize Stefan was in her class along with Matt. But, to her bitter disappointment, there was no Damon.

"Okay kids. I want you to draw me a pretty picture on what you did this summer, okay?" Elena smiled happily and began to draw a picture of her holding hands with Stefan and Damon. As she was drawing Damon however, she realized she didn't have the right color blue for his eyes. She huffed and looked around her table, and found the exact shade across from her in the hand in a little girl. She had caramel colored skin and dark hair in a braid.

" 'Scuse me." Elena said politely. The girl looked up, her green eyes questioning. "Can I use that blue?"

The girl looked at her crayon. "Sure." She handed it to Elena. "I'm Bonnie."

"I'm Elena." She colored in the eyes and smiled at the picture. It was perfect. The teacher came around and complimented her on it. "Whatcha drawin'?" she asked Bonnie.

Bonnie showed her. "It's me and my grams." She said with a grin.

"I like it. It's pretty." Elena said. She liked Bonnie.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Later that day, Elena sat with Stefan, Matt and Bonnie at lunch. Bonnie brought along another girl, a blonde with a goofy smile who introduced herself as Caroline. Elena loved all of them, and hoped this day would never end. There was only one thing missing, one thing that kept on tugging at her heart: Damon.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Fall quickly faded into winter. Elena stayed close to Damon, refusing to let school get between the two. She introduced him to her new friends, whom she was delighted to learn lived only a little bit down the road in the next neighborhood.

Almost every evening they would sneak to their perch on their tree, watching the sun set and the sky turn red. Sometimes they wouldn't shut up, talking about anything their minds could come up with, and other times they sat in silence, enjoying each others' company.

It was Christmas Eve when the first snow of the winter came. Elena and Damon were elated as they held hands and spun around in the falling white. The adults held back and muttered something about a White Christmas.

That night, Elena couldn't sleep. It was cold, and she was restless for tomorrow. She woke up Damon and Stefan, who were sleeping over her house because Giuseppe was away business, and the three of them crept down to her living room. Elena had convinced the boys to stay up and wait for Santa to come. The threesome didn't make it long, and soon the three of them were asleep on the couch, Elena in the middle, hugging her teddy to her chest.

The parents tiptoed in the room and threw a blanket over the three, before taking many pictures.

Snow fell silently as the sun slowly rose in the east, softly illuminating the room and the three kids as they continued to innocently dream.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

A couple weeks later, the snow deepened dramatically, resulting in a snow day. Elena dressed quickly in a giant coat and ear muffs and a scarf, and her mother laughed when she saw her daughter waddling around, dwarfed in clothing. The two went outside, where Elena met up with Damon and Stefan.

"It's wet." Elena commented as she grabbed a handful of snow. Stefan looked at the snow, entranced.

"Damon said that if you eat yellow snow you get a wish." He said, scanning the ground carefully. Damon coughed and Elena narrowed her eyes.

"Steffi I don't think-" Elena began but was quickly cut off by Damon.

" Lena look!" he yelled. Elena quickly turned and was met by a faceful of wet, hard cold.

"What?" she sputtered. Damon laughed loudly. Elena pursed her lips angrily and quickly gathered a ball of snow. "Oh Damon." She cooed. Damon stopped laughing and looked at her. Elena launched her missile, but Damon ducked, causing the snowball to go flying into Stefan, who was still bent over the ground, searching for yellow snow. He fell face first in the snow. Elena looked at Damon horrified as Stefan looked up, snow on his face.

"You better run." He said, wiping the snow out of his eyes. Elena and Damon exchanged looks before darting off, Stefan in close pursuit. Their laughter echoed loudly off the snow filled trees.

Elena knew that they would be best friends forever. She didn't know that she would be wrong.

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**So…was it good? I promise I'll get out of the kid years soon. Can't wait for middle school and most especially high school haha. Got a lot planned for these guys :) Hoped it was kawaii (by the way, what language is that? Lol) ! Please review! **


	3. Playground Jealousy

_I'm five years old, it's getting cold, got my big coat on_

_I hear your laugh and look up smiling at you, I run and run_

_Past the pumpkin patch and the tractor rides, look now, the sky is gold_

_I hug your legs and fall asleep on the way home._

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Dear Dairy,

I to ecited to sleep. Tomoro is my birday. I turn 6. Good nit.

Love Elena.

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"Happy Birthday Elena!"

Elena smiled brightly at nothing in particular as her mom's camera flashed in her face, blinding her momentarily. Miranda squinted at the picture, taking in Elena's frazzled dark hair, and big eyes that seemed to sparkle along with her wide smile, with a tooth missing on the side. Grayson paned his video camera around the room, recording the powder blue walls with pictures of kitties and unicorns, and her pink bedspread, with Elena sitting triumphantly on top, clasping a brightly wrapped gift. Jeremy, a small skinny thing with a messy mop of black hair, crawled next to Elena and stared amazed at the gift.

"Can I open?" he asked, his eyes never leaving the present.

Elena bounced up and down on her bed in excitement. "We'll do it together." She said, causing Jeremy to squeal. The parents chuckled as the siblings clumsily tore at the paper, Jeremy taking small strips and Elena ripping big chunks. A small box fell into Elena's lap and she stared at it curiously, turning it on all its sides.

Miranda and Grayson watched Elena with small smiles. "Open it sweetie." Her mom offered.

Elena popped open the box with a little difficulty. She pulled out a wooden jewelry box. It was small, but beautiful. Elena gasped. "It's pretty." She said.

Miranda smiled. "It's a music and jewelry box. Look. If you open the top, it plays a song. Here. You have to open it with this key and then turn it to play the song." Elena took the key and opened the top eagerly. Slowly, a little man and woman, holding hands and poised for dance, rose out and began twirling. Beautiful tinkering music floated on the air, and Elena held her breath as the notes swirled around her. After a minute or so, the last note faded away and Elena let out her breath. She caressed the dark wood and intertwined dancers. "Listen Elena. You have to take care of this. It was my mother's and it meant a lot for the both of us. We both got it on our sixth birthday, and I want you to carry on the tradition. "

Elena nodded solemnly. "I will mommy."

"I know." Elena twisted the key again and closed her eyes, letting the sweet music envelop her.

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"Happy Birthday." Damon grinned at her shyly, holding his hands behind his back. "I have something for you." Elena blinked, surprised. "Here." He held out to her a lumpy, poorly wrapped present.

Elena accepted gingerly. She unwrapped quickly and pulled out a necklace. It was long and beautiful with a thin silver chain. A silver, intricate heart was the only charm. If she looked closely, she could see D+E carved choppily on the back.

"How did you get this?" Elena asked.

Damon beamed. "I saw it in the store so I saved money from walking dogs and bought it for you."

"Thank you Dammi." Elena said. She gave him a tight bear hug and a quick peck on the cheek. Damon flamed a hot red.

"Don't kiss or hug me. You're a girl." He chided. But he didn't pull away.

The winter days started ending, melting the trio's igloo, which could barely fit the three of them, and along with their snowman guardsmen. Elena cried when her baby snowman was reduced to a puddle, but Damon reminded her that he just went to the North Pole to spend time with the elves. Elena stopped crying, a small smile lighting her lips.

"I know. I just forgot." She said.

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Elena pouted angrily, her eyes narrowed in defiance. "What do you mean? Unicorns are amazing."

Damon pushed her harder on their swing, only a beat up tire on a sturdy rope hanging from their tree. Elena kicked up her feet, pretending like she was flying over the town. She was still wearing her leotard from her ballet recital, her hair in a tight bun. Damon gave a little hurrumph of disapproval. He was in his little league outfit, helmet discarded nearby, orange dust smeared across his uniform. "No. They're just for sissy girls. Spiderman is the best."

They fought for a while, but silence descended as it ended, the only sound the swish of the tire cutting through the air. "Damon?"

"Mmhm?"

"Will you go see me do ballet tomorrow?" she asked carefully.

"Only if you go to my game."

Elena smiled. "'Course I will."

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Elena danced her heart out that night, only messing up once when she ran into a determined looking Bonnie. The crowd went wild when she performed her solo, ending with a solemn plie.

Damon gave her a single blood red rose, and Stefan handed her a single cheery daisy. Giuseppe gave her a grave nod. She hugged them all, barely able to keep still.

"You were beautiful tonight." Damon said. Elena just smiled and grabbed at her necklace, which she refused to take off.

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Damon clutched the bat tightly, brow furrowed in concentration. He stared at the pitcher, who stared back just as impassively. He hefted the ball and hit it against his mitt. In the stands with Miranda and Stefan, Elena stood up in anticipation.

"Come on Dammi." She whispered. The pitcher whipped the ball out, causing Elena and Stefan to jump. Damon didn't even blink as it whizzed past him.

"Ball!" cried the Umpire.

"What's that mean?" Elena asked Stefan.

He looked at her with big green eyes. "He's just telling everyone what that round thingy is."

"Oh." Elena said. The pitcher threw again, and Damon once again didn't swing.

"Ball!" At the third throw, he swung and missed. "Strike one!"

"What's that mean?" Elena asked again.

"That's bad. If the guy says strike three times Damon dies."

Elena gasped, her eyes wide. "Oh no!" The next pitch was another ball, and Elena pouted in annoyance. "Why does he keep saying that? I know it's a ball already!" Stefan shrugged.

Another swing and miss. Damon was looking worried now. "Strike two!" called out the umpire.

Elena was scared. Only one more strike and she could lose her best friend forever. "Damon! Don't die!" she screamed out, causing many people to turn, confused. Damon looked up and met her eyes. He gave her a bright smile and nodded slightly before turning back to the pitcher.

The ball was thrown, and Elena closed her eyes, burying her head in Stefan's chest. That was when she heard a giant crack followed by crazy cheering. She looked up to see the stands wild and a triumphant Damon running around the bases.

"He didn't die!" she cried, grabbing Stefan's hands and swinging him around. Across the field, she met Damon's eyes again, and he gave her a cocky smile.

XXXXXXXXXXX

She missed Damon more than ever at school. She only saw him fleetingly at recess, but he played with all the big kids on the big playground. She was fenced off in the kindergarten playground. One day, she was playing the floor is lava with Bonnie, Caroline, and Stefan when she heard someone whisper her name urgently. It was Damon, standing on the other side of the chain link fence. Elena quickly ran over, ignoring Caroline's cries that she was now dead.

"Damon? What are you doing?" she asked, clinging to one side of the fence. Damon grabbed her hands through the holes.

"I missed you." He said simply, looking intense with big clear blue eyes and disarrayed black hair. "I wish you were out here."

Elena pouted. "Me too." She said.

Damon's face lit up suddenly. "OK then climb over the fence." He quickly climbed up and dropped to the ground next to Elena. "See? It's easy. The big kid's playground is a lot more fun."

Elena grinned. "All right." She put her small foot in one of the holes, but was interrupted by some screaming.

"Elena! Elena!" She turned to see Stefan and Matt running full speed to her. Stefan was trying to drag Matt back by grabbing onto his shirt, but only ending up getting dragged himself. Matt looked furious.

"Lena don't do it!" cried Matt. "Don't go with him. He's mean." He pointed a chubby finger at Damon and Damon glared. Matt and Damon didn't have a good history together. Elena tried to shove her two friends together, but they just glared at each other the whole time, refusing to cave in to Elena's cajoling. They were glaring at each other now, blue warring on blue.

"He's not. He's my best friend." Elena said, huffing and putting her hands on her hips. Damon swelled happily.

"Yeah, but I'm your husband." Matt pointed out, giving Damon a triumphant look.

"You are not! Elena loves me, right Lena?"

"Uhh…" began Stefan, but Damon and Matt both shushed him.

"No! Elena loves me!"

"Yeah right. She just feels bad for you Matty." Damon taunted. "She'll only love me."

With a final glare, Damon and Matt came rushing towards each other, bringing a confused Stefan down with them. Elena gasped and bent down to the three fighting boys, trying to pull them apart.

A whistle was blown as the kindergarteners surrounded the fight, the boys cheering them on and the girls clutching at each other. A buff man yanked the boys away from each other, holding Damon in one arm and Matt in the other. The two continued to try and reach each other, arms flinging wildly. Stefan lay on the ground, looking dazed. Elena was hopping up and down, fire in her eyes.

She had to be held back as the two boys got dragged away. Later, she was led into the principal's office, and sat in between the glaring enemies. She explained what happened leaving the principal amused. He let them go after a good laugh.

Matt sighed and apologized to Elena. "It's fine." She said and gave him a big hug. Over Matt's shoulder she spotted Damon, eyeing her strangely. She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could speak, Damon turned and left.

XXXXXXXXXX

Elena couldn't sleep that night. She twisted and turned on her bed. Suddenly, she could hear the rustling of branches. To her delight, it was Damon, coming in through her window.

From the glow of her night light, she could see that he looked somewhat sad.

"What's wrong Damon?" she asked, yawing lightly.

He studied her and came to sit lay next to her on her bed. Elena turned over to look at him. "You love Matt more than me, don't you?" he asked, his voice flat.

Elena bit her lip softly, and hugged her teddy tighter to her small body. "Of course not. You are my best friend." Damon brightened instantly. "I love you Dammi."

"I love you too, Lena."

XXXXXXXXXX

_I don't know why all the trees change in the fall_

_But I know you're not scared of anything at all_

_Don't know if Snow White's house is near or far away_

_But I know I had the best day with you today._

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**Ahaha that was fun to write. Hoped you liked it. Oh! I need a bitch for this story lol. So who should I bring? Should it be…**

**Rose? (Obviously way OOC lol)**

**Katherine? (Should Elena get a surprise twin? Or maybe just a girl who kinda looks like her?)**

**An OC? (If you want this, leave me a name and a description in the reviews. I might just pick yours!)**

**So please review!**


	4. Just Two Kids

**Okay just a heads up. I'm skipping forward a year or so. So now Elena is seven and Damon is nine. Cue Taylor Swift music! **

_She said, I was seven and you were nine  
I looked at you like the stars that shined  
In the sky, the pretty lights  
And our daddies used to joke about the two of us  
Growing up and falling in love and our mamas smiled  
And rolled their eyes and said oh my my my_

**1 Year later….**

Bonnie was talking happily with Caroline as they made their way home from the bus stop; Bonnie's mom close behind. Caroline's mom was usually busy with work, leaving Caroline into the Bennet's hands. The two only lived a couple houses apart, and their mom's, along with Elena's had all been friends since before their birth.

It was the last day of school, and the two couldn't be happier. They skipped excitedly over to Bonnie's house. Bonnie's Grams was sitting on the couch when they came in, reading some big book. They gave her a quick hug, got a snack, and ran up to Bonnie's room.

Caroline immediately flopped herself on Bonnie's bed and stuffed the cookie in her mouth. "Twish ish gwonnah thesh besh shummer evesh." She said.

"What?" Bonnie asked, confused.

Caroline swallowed and smoothed out her bright pink dress. "I said this is gonna be the best summer ever."

Bonnie smiled. " Oh. I know cookie monster." Caroline made a face. They sat in silence for a while, Caroline playing with one of Bonnie's barbies while Bonnie sat thinking. "So…" she finally said. "What do you want to do?"

Caroline looked up at her thoughtfully, carefully twirling one of her blonde pigtails. Her hair was almost white from her being out in the sun so much. "Why don't we go play with Elena?"

Bonnie considered this then pulled a face. "Yeah, but she's always with that scary 2nd grader, Damon."

"He's not scary." Caroline argued.

"Uh huh!" Bonnie said, nodding fiercely. "That's what Matt said."

"What did I say?" Bonnie and Caroline both turned to see Matt along with Tyler in the doorway, both with cookies in their hands. Bonnie shoved some of her stuffed animals off her bed so they could sit down, which they did.

"That Damon's mean." Bonnie clarified.

Matt's hand instinctively rose to his eye, which had been bruised after the fight with Damon. It had long faded now, but the grudge stayed. "Yeah he is." He murmered.

"If I was there…" Tyler trailed off. He was staring warily at a stuffed animal like it was going to attack him.

"Nothing would've changed." Caroline finished, fixing the hair on her blonde Barbie. Tyler glared at her, but she was oblivious. "And I think we should play with them anyway. I like Stefan." She continued.

"Yeah, I guess so. And maybe Damon is nice." Bonnie said.

Matt whispered a "Yeah right."

"Let's just go." Caroline said suddenly. "She only lives a couple houses down."

The four exchanged glances, and, finally, nodded.

XXXXXXXXXX

"What?" Elena asked again, her eyes wide and pleading.

Damon sighed. "I'm sorry Lena. I have to go. It's only going to be a month and a half or something like that. I'll be back before you know it. You'll have Stefan."

"But…" Elena bit her lip. "I can't…" She couldn't have a summer without her best friend.

Giuseppe and Stefan came out of the somewhat somber Salvatore house, the father as solemn as ever, while Stefan could barely contain his excitement. Grayson helped Giuseppe with his many suitcases while Miranda shepherded Stefan over by Elena.

"I can't believe you two are going to Italy." Miranda said, ruffling Damon's hair affectionately.

Giuseppe frowned slightly. "Yes. It is where our family lives. And thank you for agreeing to take care of Stefan for such a long time. I had no one else to turn to, and…"

"It's really no problem. You three are like our family now." Grayson said, giving Giuseppe and friendly pat on the back.

Giuseppe's face was humorless, but his mouth quirked slightly. "Well, we must be going if we want to make the flight. Thank you again, and be good Stefan." He gave his son a big hug. "Damon, car."

Damon continued to give Elena appeasing looks. "Damon…" Giuseppe said warningly. Damon's eyes widened with fear, and he gave Elena a quick hug before running off into the car.

Elena watched the car slowly drive away, feeling the crawling sensation of dread settle in her stomach. She was going to miss him.

She walked inside with Stefan, feeling slightly numb. She knew Damon had to leave to Italy with his father. It was some sort of Salvatore tradition, where the eldest son had to go meet the rest of the family. Next, Stefan would leave with his father. Stefan was just putting down all of his stuff when the doorbell rang.

"Elena it's for you!" called out her dad from downstairs. Elena sighed inaudible, and slowly went to the door. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously when she saw who it was.

"Hey Elena!" came a chorus of four voices. Bonnie, her dark hair in braids, sounded careful as she looked around Elena's small frame for Damon. Caroline, wearing all pink, sounded excited. Matt, his straightforward face burned, looked bashful. Tyler looked like he'd rather be anywhere but there.

"Hey guys…" she said, with slight confusion. Ever since the playground incident, Matt avoided her like the Plague. As for Tyler, he barely gave her a second glance.

"You wanna go play?" Bonnie asked, twisting a braid.

Elena looked at each of their faces, varying from anxious to nervous to indifferent and bubbly. She felt a smile form on her face. "Sure." She said.

XXXXXXXXXX

Day 3

_Dear Lena,_

_How are you? I'm good. It's really nice here, but I miss you. I met the fam today, and they were all like my Dad. Rude, stuck up, and acting like they're the best thing that happened to this world. The place that we're staying at makes up for it though. It's big, and gives a nice view of some giant vineyard we Salvatore's own. Father says if I play my cards right, I could own it someday. I don't think I'm much of a farmer type. And I think he'd rather Stefan have it anyway. Well, there's some big dinner tonight, and I have to work on buttering up these old crones. Something I'm good at. I miss you._

_Damon _

_P.S: Enclosed is some nature-y stuff that I know you like._

XXXXXXXXXX

Day 5

_Dear Damon,_

_Thanks! I loved the leaves. They even smelled foreignish, if that makes sense. I put them somewhere special._

_I miss you too. Things are strange here without you, but Stefan isn't as bad as you said he would be. He's sweet, and never makes fun of my barbies like you do. Only thing is…he snores. Bad. I really don't know how you stand it. One night, Care and Bon were sleeping over and we did the ol' 'put shaving cream on his hand and tickle his nose' thing. It actually worked, and was really funny. Pictures are inside for your entertainment_

_I hope the dinner went okay. I'm sure it did cos I know how you are with old people. And don't you complain. I'm jealous. I would die to be in Italy right now._

_XOXO_

_Elena_

XXXXXXXXXX

Day 10

_Elena,_

_Today we took a trip to Venice. It was breathtaking. We even went on those boat thingys. I even bought you a present, which I'll show to you when we get back. And I know Stefan snores. The trick is to shove tissue in your ears. It blocks out the worse. The pictures brightened up my day, but did make me sad. I wish I was there too with you. No one does torturing Stefan better than I do._

_Damon_

XXXXXXXXXX

That night, Stefan stopped snoring.

Elena sighed in immediate relief, taking out the tissue from her ears. On her floor, he actually looked somewhat peaceful, even with the small trail of drool dripping down his mouth.

She smiled softly as her eyes slowly fluttered close, the silence cool and comforting and- a sudden loud snore from Stefan ripped through the air, making her eyes fly open.

She had to get out of there.

She opened the window and, instead of crawling across like she usually did, crawled down. She quickly ran through the night, until she was where she wanted to be: their tree.

She sat there until the sun slowly rose, and she was calm enough to leave.

XXXXXXXXXX

Day 19

_Damon, _

_I miss you. What else is there to say? Besides the fact they're not boat thingys. They're gondoliers. How are you Italian again?_

_XOXO_

_Elena_

XXXXXXXXXX

Day 28

_Dearest Elena,_

_I am a proud Italian, thank you very much. In fact, I am learning more about my heritage and background every day. And apparently, I am a natural cook. __My grandmama was the one who taught me. You would love her Lena. She's the only person in this stuck up family I actually like. She even says you could come next time! So I'd watch your words Gilbert. Say hi to Stefan for me. _

_Damon_

XXXXXXXXXX

Day 35

_The most charming Damon Salvatore,_

_Have I ever told you how amazing you are? And irresistible and funny and ...yeah I'm kidding. I could say whatever I want to you and you'd still bring me. _

_XOXO _

_Elena_

XXXXXXXXXX

Day 47

_Elena,_

_I wouldn't be so sure Gilbert. And don't lie. I am all those things and more. I might end up bringing...Matt. Yeah how do you like that?_

_Damon_

XXXXXXXXXX

Day 62

_Salvatore,_

_Yeah I'm sure the two of you would have a ball together. Have fun without me. _

_Elena_

_PS: when are you getting back? Not that I care. I just can't stand another night of Stefan's snoring._

XXXXXXXXXX

Day 67

_Even though you don't care, I'm leaving early tomorrow. See you then. _

_XOXO_

_Damon._

XXXXXXXXXX

Elena couldn't be more excited.

The day before Damon came back, Elena brought Stefan to her and Damon's tree. Over this summer she had gotten much closer to him than either she or Damon had expected. Stefan sat on the tree limb and looked around with wide eyes.

"I've always wondered what it's like up here." He whispered softly. Elena looked sideways at Stefan thoughtfully. She pondered how sweet he was, how she knew he would never hurt a fly. "It's beautiful."

Elena leaned her head on his shoulder, and they watched the sun set.

After a while, they finally came down. Stefan smiled at Elena. "I really like you Elena." He said.

"What's going on here?"

Elena and Stefan both turned guiltily to meet Damon's confused eyes. "Damon I-"

"I thought this was our spot." He said, eyes flicking between Stefan and Elena accusingly.

"I never said that." Elena snapped, causing Damon's eyes to widen. Stefan murmured something and slunk off, leaving the two to glare at each other. Suddenly, Elena broke the silence by rushing forward and capturing him in a giant hug. "I missed you." She said, in haling deeply. He smelled different, almost spicy. When she pulled back, she realized he looked different too. His dark hair was longer, the tips almost touching his shoulder. His usually pale skin was tanner and he grew a couple of inches too, now towering over her.

Damon smiled. "I missed you too, kid" he said, punching her on the shoulder.

"Kid? Look who's all high and mighty now. You're not that much older than me."

The two laughed and walked off.

XXXXXXXXXX

Elena spent the last week of summer with Damon. On the last day before she would start 2nd grade, Bonnie threw a pool party. All the kids seemed amazed at her spacious pool area. Elena once again forced Damon on her friends, and this time they clicked. Matt seemed to have forgiven him, and in no time at all, the two were snorting about something like they had been best friends all their lives.

Elena sat on the edge of the pool, kicking her legs in the water and licking on a Popsicle. Bonnie and Caroline sat on either side of her, doing the same. They laughed at the idiocy of boys as they goofed around, pulling each other under water and guffawing about it.

"Why are guys so stupid?" Caroline mused aloud. Suddenly the pool was quiet as all the boys, including Matt, Stefan, Tyler, and Damon, stared at the three.

"Oh. We're stupid, are we?" asked Matt menacingly, as they advanced slowly.

Elena and Bonnie exchanged unfazed glances. Caroline smirked. "Yes. Yes you are. I mean seriously. You're playing in the pool like a bunch of dumb sharks or something."

"Caroline." Elena warned carefully. Damon whispered something in Tyler's ear, who in turn whispered into Matt's ear.

"Well, it is fun." Damon said. They slowly swam to them. "Why don't you…" They slowly floated into position. Tyler in front of Caroline, Damon in front of Elena, and Matt in front of Bonnie. "Oh, I don't know. Join us?" At those words, the boys suddenly yanked their respective girl in the water.

Elena was the last to come up, sputtering. She saw Caroline squealing and grasping at her hair while Bonnie was hitting Matt with a floaty. She looked up at Damon, scowling. "You jerk! You ruined my Popsicle!"

Damon made a mock sad face. "You know you love me."

"Not anymore!" Elena hissed, reaching for something to throw at him.

"Aw come here. Gimme a kiss." He said, and puckered his lips, coming closer.

"Ew! Damon! Get away!" she screamed, pushing away his grabbing arms. She finally grabbed a squirt gun and aimed it at his face. The stream hit him head on, and he glared at her."You're so going to regret that Gilbert."

"Am I?" she taunted. Damon rushed forward, and with a squeal she swam away.

The kids played until the sun slowly set on the last day of summer.

XXXXXXXXXX

_**Take me back **to the house in the backyard tree  
Said you'd beat me up, you were bigger than me  
You never did, you never did  
**Take me back **when our world was one block wide  
I dared you to kiss me and ran when you tried  
Just two kids, you and I...  
Oh my my my my__  
_

XXXXXXXXXX

That song is my muse for this story along with my own childhood. So give it a listen. It's called Mary's Song (Oh My My My) and always makes me cry. And yeah yeah I don't own it. Anyway review and make me extremely happy! Can we make it to 100? *makes puss in boot's begging face* Oh and I counted the votes and it's a tie between Rose and Kat. So... keep voting I guess lol. And is there any special character you want me to bring in? Like Lexi? Review! :D


	5. Preteen Angst

**A/N: Um, hey. Remember me, that girl that occasionally made Delena stories and updated really slowly? No? Um… Well, yeah. Hey, look how tall you got! And I really love what you did with your hair. Yeah…it's pretty, um…interesting. Heh.**

**But in all seriousness though, hi guys! This is weird. Has it really and truly been like over a year? That's insane. Where has all this time gone? I feel so old. But not really. How was your year, guys? Do you even watch TVD anymore? Is Delena still a thing, or has everyone jumped ship to like Damon/Kol or something? I'm lost.**

**Anyway, I'm sincerely sorry for the long time it took to produce this chapter, and I honestly don't have a good excuse (I do have a couple bad ones…) as to what happened except…well, life. I do hope you enjoy the chapter, and I apologize for the choppiness of it, as it was written over the course of a year. Next chapter we get into the year where most of the story takes place, and it will be pretty steady from there on out. Oof, I'm pretty nervous here. It took me way too long to get the balls to post this and what if you guys just hate me and you're all like oh great this bitch is back and wasn't The Hunger Games awesome and I really should stop blabbering now and just let you guys read the story though I bet no one is reading this dumb author's note anyway and okay I'm leaving now?**

**Enjoy!**

XXXXXXXXXX

_I remember  
We were walking up to strawberry swing  
I can't wait until the morning  
Wouldn't wanna change a thing  
People moving all the time  
Inside a perfectly straight line  
Don't you wanna curve away?  
When it's such...  
It's such a perfect day  
It's such a perfect day_

XXXXXXXXXX

Elena tipped her head towards the sky, relishing in the warm rays. She closed her eyes and smiled as the warmth surrounded her. Suddenly, the world jerked around her and her eyes snapped open.

"Damon! Be careful! You're going to kill me." She chastised, turning to glare at him. Damon stuck his tongue out at her and wiggled the bike a little bit more for good measure. Elena gasped and held on tighter to the handle bars. "Are you sure this is even safe? Stefan said it was dangerous…" Elena added, shifting uncomfortably from her perch on the bike.

Damon rolled his eyes. "When do I ever listen to Stefan?" he asked, an eyebrow raised. They rolled into town and Damon slowed down, allowing Elena to hop off. Her knees buckled and Damon flew of the bike to hold her up.

"I'm fine." She laughed, pushing him away. Damon blushed and picked up his discarded bike. That bike was his pride and joy, with shifting gears and quick speeds. It was a sleek black and was the fastest bike in the neighborhood. It even beat Tyler's huge red bike with metal spikes on the side, which he fondly called The Monster.

Elena walked along on the sidewalk as Damon slowly pedaled next to her. With a wicked smile, Damon suddenly pushed forward on his bike, lifting the top wheel and lifting up both his hands. Elena laughed and cheered.

"Hey Elena!" a voice called. Elena turned to see a smirking Kol, flanked by two other sly looking boys.

Elena smiled. "Oh hey Kol. What's up?" she asked kindly.

"Nothin' much." He responded. Elena didn't like the way the boys were all looking at her. One of the boys turned to whisper something in Kol's ear and Kol snorted back. Down the street, Damon looked back smiling to see if Elena was watching. His forehead wrinkled when he saw that she was turned away from him and talking to someone else. He cycled back to see Elena trembling, but not with fear. Her eyes were narrowed and smoldering and her hands were balled into fists at her sides. Damon pushed harder.

"Don't ever say that about him again." She hissed. Then, while Kol and his sidekicks were chortling, Elena pulled her hand back and swung it forward, catching Kol straight in the face. His nose exploded in a shower of blood and he howled in pain.

"This isn't over, Gilbert." He said before they all slunk away.

"What did he say?" Damon asked, huffing after he finally reached Elena. Without waiting for an answer he started pedaling again. "I'm going to kill him." He growled.

Elena grabbled onto the seat, pulling him back. "Don't. I got him good." She said proudly.

Damon chuckled softly and looked at Elena with a sparkle in his eyes. "I know." He said.

"Oh! Mommy and Daddy have a house by the lake now."

"What?" Damon asked, confused.

"Yeah. My Grandpa gave it to them. We're all going there this summer and they said it's okay if you and Stefan come."

Damon's eyes lit up. "Really? That's awesome!"

Elena grinned. "I know. I can't wait."

"You want to go get a snack?" Damon asked, tugging on her long ponytail.

Elena pulled on his hair back and pushed him away playfully. "Sure."

XXXXXXXXX

Damon smirked and turned his baseball cap to the side, smacking the dusty ball against the baseball mitt. Elena gripped the bat harder and dug her feet deeper into the dry dirt.

"Hey batter, batter, swing, batter!" Bonnie called from first base, a beat up garbage can top. She hopped up and down excitedly, her pig tails bouncing with her. Matt threw her an amused look.

"Come on, Elena! You hit this and we win!" Stefan yelled. He stood tensely at third base, one foot touching the huge rock and his other stretched as far as he could reach it. He winked at her and nodded encouragingly.

Elena fixed her attention back on Damon, her mouth hardened in a thin line. He cocked his head. "You sure you can handle this, 'Lena?" he asked tauntingly. "Give up now and it will save you the humiliation." Tyler laughed in the background. Elena saw Damon tense slightly.

"Bring it on." She said, causing Bonnie and Stefan to cheer wildly.

Damon nodded and shot out the first ball with an elaborate pitch. Elena kept her eyes on it and timing carefully, swung out her bat. She heard a satisfying crack and ping. The ball arced in the air and Elena stared open mouthed after it. Tyler stuck his glove out and jumped, but the ball sailed way over his head and instead landed in front of a surprised Caroline, who had been playing with her hair for a good chunk of the game. There was a pause before everything burst into action. Bonnie and Stefan shot forward. Tyler screamed at a bewildered Caroline to pick the ball up. As she tentatively reached for it, crying about how much mud was on it, Stefan rounded home base. Elena reached first and slid to second. Tyler reached Caroline and yanked the ball out of her hand, and the two quickly got into a fight about who should have the ball. Bonnie slid home, high-fiving an energetic Stefan.

"Throw the ball to me!" Damon yelled, exasperated.

Caroline finally got hold of the ball and tossed it to Damon before pushing Tyler to the ground. Damon took off running. "You're mine, Gilbert!"

Elena snuck a look over her shoulder, and her eyes widened. Damon was right behind her, a determined look on his face, and the ball clutched in his outstretched hand. It was almost touching her. She skidded around third base, and doubled up her speed as she headed for home. The lone base seemed miles away. Stefan, Bonnie, and the sidelined Matt all cheered her on, and even the dust covered Tyler and Caroline stopped their fight to watch the final stretch.

Elena heard nothing but the pounding of her feet hitting the hard packed earth. The abandoned field that they were playing on faded away, and she was now surrounded by cheering fans in a packed stadium. She imagined an announcer's booming voice saying, _And there goes Elena Gilbert, the fastest runner in Mystic Falls, trailed closely by the older Salvatore boy…_

Suddenly, Elena lost her footing and began to slide uncontrollably towards the base.

_She's on the ground and sliding now! Will she ever make it? This is it folks! The deciding factor between who is better- Elena or Damon? He's gaining, and she's almost safe, and-_

"HEY!" The loud voice echoed over the fields, stopping the kids in their tracks. "THIS IS PRIVATE PROPERTY! YOU KIDS ARE IN BIG TROUBLE!" With frightened looks at each other, they all darted into the woods as quick as their legs could carry them.

"I knew this was gonna happen. And since Elena didn't make it, we tied. And you said the winner gets icecream…" Tyler said, fuming.

"Fine." Damon whispered. "As long as you pay."

They all trudged back to the location of their hidden bikes glancing behind them furtively the whole way and shushing Tyler when his protests became too vocal. Then, laughing they took off from the abandoned park.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I'll have a double fudge sundae with nuts…and your number." Damon said with a wink as he leaned forward.

The blonde manning the counter studied her long, perfectly manicured nails. "Corny pickup lines cost extra." She looked up. "How old are you anyway?"

"Old enough for you babe." Damon replied. The blonde rolled her eyes and slapped the change on the counter. He gave Tyler and Matt high fives.

"Ugh. You guys are so sick." Caroline groaned. She took her milkshake and dragged a chair to a long table.

"Aww, is my little Barbie jealous?" Damon said, slinging his arm around her.

Caroline pushed his arm off with a disgusted look on her face. Damon pouted and leaned towards Bonnie. "What about you, BonBon?"

Elena took her ice cream cone and went to sit down in the booth across from Damon, Bonnie and Caroline. She frowned at Damon and jumped slightly as Stefan and Matt slid in next to her. "You're such a flirt, Damon." Elena announced, shifting uncomfortably.

"He's probably going to end up alone and when he's older." Bonnie commented, giving Damon a sly look.

"With these looks? I don't think so."

Elena snorted and threw whipped cream at him. Damon glared and smeared chocolate syrup on her face.

Before they knew it, they were being dragged out of the parlor, ice cream sticking to their clothes. The blonde cashier sneered at Damon. "Go back to the playground, kid."

Damon bristled. "Seven years from now, she's so gonna regret that."

"Why? 'Cuz you'll be so hot that girls will be dropping on the spot?" Elena snorted, throwing him a disbelieving look.

"You know it."

"Don't hold your breath, Damon."

XXXXXXXXXX

"I can't believe we're going to middle school next year."

"I know right?" Caroline said, wielding the lipgloss tube expertly. "I can't wait for mature, middle school boys that don't suck their thumb."

Elena watched as Caroline's hand shook as she brought the tube down. Something was wrong. "You okay, Care?" she asked cautiously.

Caroline looked away. "Yeah. 'M fine.

Bonnie exchanged a look with Elena as she pulled herself to a sitting position on Elena's bed.

"Care…"

Caroline started sobbing. Bonnie and Elena immediately jumped up and rushed to her either side. "It's m-my dad." She stuttered.

"What about your dad?" Bonnie questioned softly, stroking her blonde hair.

Caroline's sobs slowed into hiccups. She shook her head. "It's…complicated." She said finally.

"You can tell us anything." Bonnie said, her voice hushed.

Caroline studied the crumpled up tissue Elena had given her. "He doesn't love my mom anymore. They're…getting divorced." She took a deep steadying breath. "He's leaving soon…with his boyfriend." She looked up quickly to gauge her friend's reactions.

Elena gave her a sad look. "Oh, Care."

"And…well, at least you still have your mom with you." Bonnie added, trying to appeal to Caroline's optimistic spirit. "I'd do anything to see my mom." She added a little wistfully.

"That's true," Caroline said. "But I don't even see her anymore, and when I do…it's like she's not even there."

"We're here for you, okay?" Elena said, wrapping the blonde in a bear hug.

"Always." Bonnie said from the other side.

And Caroline smiled.

"You guys are the best." She said. Then she peered at herself at in the mirror and gasped dramatically, pushing her way out of the hug. "And my makeup is ruined!"

"Well, that lasted long." Bonnie sighed. She and Elena met eyes and began laughing hard as Caroline scrubbed at her eyes in the mirror, making her look like a rabid raccoon.

"Geez Caroline. I always knew you were ugly, but this is really bad." The girls looked up to see Jeremy lounging in the doorway, holding a game console in one hand.

Elena scowled. "Jeremy, get out of here!" She flung a pillow at him, but he easily dodged it and flopped on her bed. "I'm gonna tell mom on you!" she threatened. Jeremy shrugged as he played his game. With an indignant, "Mom!" Elena rushed out of the room.

Jeremy turned his attention to Bonnie. "Hi Bonnie." He said shyly, his cheeks turning pink. But Bonnie didn't hear him as she muttered soothing comments to Caroline. Jeremy sighed, then smiled mischievously. He slipped unnoticed out of the room.

"See, mom, he's so annoying!" Elena said, tugging a reluctant Miranda into the room.

She sighed. "Elena, he's not even in here."

"What? But…" Miranda left and Elena pouted. "He gets away with everything!"

They all laughed and flopped onto Elena's bed to talk. "So have you seen Damon's new friend Klaus? He is so cute! Those blue eyes!" Caroline squealed.

Elena pulled a face. "I don't like him. He gives me the creeps. And whenever Damon's around him he acts like he's all bad and stuff."

"Who, Damon?"

"Yeah. He changed so much. Like, he's so…so…"

"Hot?" Caroline volunteered.

"Jerk-ish?" Bonnie added.

"No! Guys!" Elena said crossly. "Just forget I said that."

"Okay. Anyway…those blue eyes!"

They had all drifted off to sleep when Elena was jerked awake by a strange bumping sound. Her eyes widened and she clutched an empty popcorn bowl to her chest.

Bang.

Elena shook Caroline and Bonnie awake. "Guys…" she whispered. The darkness pressed on her, and she suddenly regretted ever putting away her comforting nightlight. And where was her teddy when she needed him?

There was a rustling noise. Her blood ran cold. It was coming from under her bed. "Omigod we're going to die." Caroline wailed.

Bonnie and Elena shushed her. Elena grabbed her brush and wielded it like a deadly weapon that might actually do some damage.

"Bonnie," a voice hissed. The girls went pale. "Caroline, Elena." It continued, dragging the vowels in a distorted growl. Caroline clutched Bonnie's wrists in a death grip.

"Damon is a stud…" the demon voice continued, followed by a sigh and a chuckle.

The girls relaxed and raised eyebrows. Elena flicked the lights on. "You guys can come out now." She commanded, dropping the brush on the bed.

Three dark-headed boys popped out from under the bed.

"You snore, Caroline." Stefan commented bluntly.

Caroline blushed. Her face then straightened into one of disgust. "How long have you been under there, creeps?"

Damon smirked. "Don't worry, it wasn't long."

"It was my idea." Jeremy admitted proudly. The three girls hurled pillows at them.

"And my mom just let you guys in?" Elena questioned, mystified.

"You know your mom loves me." Damon said. Elena couldn't help but to smile at the devilish boy. It was completely true; Miranda loved the brothers just as much as she did Jeremy and Elena, substituting herself as the loving mother figure the boys didn't have. She would often bake things just for the sake of seeing the delighted grins on Damon and Stefan's faces. Giuseppe rarely, if ever, cooked.

"I don't really see why." Elena laughed. Damon made a face, stopping momentarily from stuffing his face with stale, leftover popcorn.

"So…who's up for a game of truth or dare?" Jeremy offered, hopeful.

Bonnie hurled another pillow at him.

XXXXXXXXX

"Let's play seven minutes in heaven!" Caroline announced cheerfully. There was a collective mixture of groans and whistles among the group of middle schoolers. Still, despite the hesitation, the kids sat down anxiously in a circle in the middle of the room. "And since it's Klaus' birthday, he can go first." She continued, looking at the blue eyed boy dreamily.

"My pleasure." He said in his strange accent, and spinned the bottle.

Elena's heart pounded as she watched the coke bottle spin round and round. Please not me, please not me, she begged silently. From across the circle Klaus met her eyes and smirked. He murmured something into Damon's ear and they both guffawed. Elena scowled. Klaus was cute, with his windswept blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes, but there was something different about him, something that told her to stay far away. The bottle slowed to a stop. Elena stifled a gasp. Caroline fumed.

The bottle had quivered to a stop in front of Bonnie.

She flushed red and Klaus shrugged and stood up. "Let's go, love." He said. Elena was somewhat surprised. She had heard Caroline bragging about the way she could manipulate the bottle to somehow to land on who she wanted.

While they were gone, Elena scanned the rest of the gossiping circle. Next to Elena sat a cute boy named Luka, who looked somewhat upset. Elena smiled at that. In between Damon and Matt sat Elijah, Klaus' half brother, who lived with him in the giant mansion they were in now. He was a strange guy, Elena mused. He had a pensive look on his usually emotionless face. He was perfectly groomed, with not a hair out of place. Elijah caught her staring and raised his eyebrow. Elena turned away, embarrassed at being caught. Also in the group were Andie, who was practically sitting on Damon's lap, Gretta and Maddox, Klaus' goons and also eighth graders along with a couple other kids, and Aimee, giggling with her friend Sarah while typing furiously on her glittering phone. Great. Now the whole school would know about Klaus and Bonnie.

"So, Elena. I heard you're going out with Trevor." Mason said, leaning in from on her right, his pale green eyes glinting eagerly.

Elena blushed, thinking of the shy, brown haired boy she had sat next to at a party in the movie theater. She could feel many eyes on her, anticipating her answer. She noticed the Salvatore brothers also seemed very interested, their eyes flashing. "Um…well…"

_Slam._ Everyone jumped as the sound of the door slamming resonated through the house. Bonnie stormed in, her face flustered and furious. With a quick, "I'm leaving, sorry," she was out the front door. Elena and Caroline exchanged alarmed stares.

"What's her problem?" Caroline said, turning her attention back to Klaus, who was slinking back in the room.

Elena rolled her eyes and ran back out to find Bonnie, followed closely behind by Damon. Out in the massively impressive yard of the Smith's she spotted Bonnie sitting on the edge of a marble fountain, tapping her foot impatiently. "Bonnie, what's wrong?" she asked, sitting down next to her.

Bonnie gave her a baleful stare. "He's a creep, Elena."

Elena's eyes went wide. "What did he do to you? I swear I'll kill him." Elena said passionately.

"What's going on here?" Damon asked, pushing his way over to the girls.

Bonnie suddenly smiled, standing up. "But don't worry. He won't be trying it ever again. There's my dad now."

Damon and Elena watched her jump into her dad's car. "You guys coming back?" a voice called from inside the house.

The two padded silently back to house and sat in their respective spots. Elena noted that Klaus was flushed with his eyebrows puckered in irritation. "Damon, you go." He said absently.

Damon immediately smirked at the circle. Elena giggled to herself as all the girls in the circle eagerly leaned forward.

He was cute, she supposed, with his untidy black hair and big blue eyes framed by long lashes, but it was _Damon_. Damon, who shoved a lizard down her shirt in fourth grade and flirted with blonde cashiers, but was always there, with that devilish smile, the one that lit up every girl's face in the circle, most of all, Rebekah. Elena's face screwed up in slight disgust. Rebekah was another member of the strange family, and always followed around their group, copying everything they did, hoping one of them would even look at her. She tried to sympathize with the girl, but every time she said a kind word, Rebekah all but spit in her face.

The bottle was slowing now, and Elena let out a stifled laugh as it landed on a ruffled Alaric. Damon, spun the bottle again in exasperation, and Elena's laugh died away. The noise seemed to fade, and her body froze in shock. Her. The bottle was pointing to her.

Heat flooded her face as she took in the different expressions in the group. Some, like Matt, Stefan, and the girls seemed furious. Caroline looked smug, Damon just shocked. The Mikaelson siblings were all amused. It was just a game to them.

Elena let out an embarrassed, short laugh. "Sorry, you should spin again." She managed to get out.

Klaus kept his cool, aloof expression. "You know the rules. Go into the room."

"You let him spin again for Alaric!" Elena pointed out.

"That's different."

Elena turned to Damon for help, but was stunned how red and flustered the usually calm Damon was. His mantra even was, "cool as a cucumber." Was he really that embarrassed and disgusted at the thought of kissing her? A stubborn obstinacy filled her, and she stood up suddenly. "Fine." She said, pulling Damon away with her into the room, away from the hoots and hollers.

She pushed him in and closed the door. Damon stumbled and sat on the bed. He gave a whistle of appreciation as he surveyed the room. "These guys definitely know how to spend their money." Elena's eyes widened as she took in the giant flat screen TV, thick lavish carpets, and huge king size canopy bed. She sat down next to Damon on the bed and bounced up and down a couple times. "So…" Damon started, clearing his throat.

Elena turned her head. "Huh?" she said, still dazed from the luxury of the room. Realization hit her as she stared at his still-flushed face, his inability to meet her eyes. "Oh." She sighed. "Well, let's get this over with." She nervously put her hands on Damon's shoulders and looked into his large, surprised blue eyes. She leaned forward; her eyes fluttering closed…and sighed. She pulled back apologetically. "I can't."  
Damon studied the floor, but Elena forced him to look at her. "I can't." she repeated, and gave a big smile. "You're like my brother." Her face screwed up. "How weird and gross would that be? Besides, they don't have to know we didn't kiss." She stood and patted him on the back. "Right?"

Damon gave a halfhearted smile. "Right."

"And…can I tell you a secret?" Elena's voice dropped to a whisper.

"Of course." Damon replied steadily.

"I…I think I like Stefan." The words came out in a rush and Elena immediately covered her face with her hands.

Damon felt his stomach drop. The world seemed to do a slow turn. "You do?"

"Yes." Elena groaned. "But you can't tell anyone, Damon." She looked at him urgently.

"I won't."

"Pinky promise?" Elena asked, and outstretched her pinky.

Damon hesitated, then linked his with hers. "Yeah."

"Let's go." She grinned, skipping towards the door, glad that things wouldn't be weird between her and her best friend.

Damon got up and followed her mechanically, the smile melting off his face. A hardened mask took its place. The talking group of middle schoolers all looked up expectantly as the two reentered.

"How was it?" Rebekah questioned, an eyebrow raised.

Damon chuckled heartlessly. "I wish it would've been you." He said. She gave a laugh of satisfaction and leaned into him. A smirk curved his lips as he wrapped an arm around her, his mind clear for the first time.

XXXXXXXXXX

_Cold, cold water bring me round  
Now my feet won't touch the ground  
Cold, cold water what ya say?  
When it's such...  
It's such a perfect day_

XXXXXXXXXX

**So, please review because forgiveness is good. :)**

**I love you all!**


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